From left, Commissioners David Carrington, Jimmie Stephens, Sandra Little Brown, Joe Knight and George Bowman pose for a group picture after their organizational meeting in November. (The Birmingham News/ Mark Almond)

The Jefferson County Commission met this morning with members of the Jefferson County legislative delegation for the first time since the November elections, and both sides pledged a united front to deal with the county's problems.

All five county commissioners attended the breakfast at Vulcan Park, along with at least 15 lawmakers of both parties.

"We are trying to reach out to legislators that affect our lives," said Commissioner Sandra Little Brown. "I hope we can keep this relationship going."

Those issues were not publicly discussed at today's meeting, but commissioners said they hoped the breakfast could provide the groundwork for future cooperation.

"We are trying to form good relations," said Commission President David Carrington. A good working relationship, he said, "gives you the foundation to form consensus and build agreement, and to identify areas where we don't fully agree, so we can discuss them to move forward."

Rep. Patricia Todd, D-Birmingham, said she was pleased to see the commission work together.

"I hope we can follow suit and work with them to develop priorities for the county and help any way we can," Todd said. "I don't see any factions. They work as a team; they respect each other. It's not Democrat, Republican, black, white, male, female, urban, suburban. They are really working together as a team, and I have never seen that before. Usually the commission has been so factionalized."